Strongest Businessman of the Cultivation World

"2170 Gold? That amount is much less than what I expected to pay."

Ikasa mumbled as Sang Yi handed him the title deed for the very building they were seated inside.

The young man with the tattoo had taken care of all the procedures and paperwork involved in transferring the ownership of this establishment at the orders of his father. This was another gesture of goodwill by the Nian Clan towards the one judged by the Heavenly Horse.

Ikasa quickly checked the particulars of the contract and added his signature to the paper.

The procedure for the transfer of ownership had taken a little longer than expected but Sang Yi had managed to get it done before the start of the Auction.

Sang Yi had also invited the Array Master he had mentioned before. At that moment, Ikasa and Sang Yi awaited the arrival of the esteemed guest.

Soon, they heard the rhythmic sound of hooves clapping against the ground. Ikasa and Sang Yi came out of the storefront and saw a chariot drawn by a pair of Silver Spotted Bucks come to a stop in front of the shop.

"He is here." Sang Yi notified Ikasa while his eyes were fixed on the figure coming out of the coach. Ikasa nodded and put on a warm smile on his lips as he looked towards the carriage.

A thin old man with a flowing white beard got down from the carriage. He wore silver robes with sleeves thrice as big as his spindly arms. On the right chest of his robes, Ikasa saw a green octagon that showed the eight trigrams.

"Master Er Gou! Thank you for coming. This is Owner Ikasa, the one who requested your services."

Sang Yi immediately went forward and introduced Ikasa to the old man. Ikasa bowed his head slightly and paid his respects to the elderly with cupped fists.

The Array master caressed his wispy long beard, as his sharp grayish eyes scrutinized Ikasa from top to bottom. Then his lips curled upwards in a smile that reached his eyes.

"I was surprised to hear that the Heavenly Horse bestowed his Feather of Judgment upon some young lad. Now that I have seen your potential as deep as that of an ocean, I can see why the Heavenly Horse would choose you."

The Judgment Feather of the Heavenly Horse was once again showing how useful it was. Ikasa thanked the Absolute of Water and the Heavenly Horse in his mind as he put on a humble smile.

"I am flattered to hear such high praise from someone who is just a step away from reaching the Grand Mastery in arrays, Master Gou."

Ikasa quickly returned the compliment as he welcomed the Array Master into the store.

Zhong Xi had done a great job of cleaning up the place. The dark ebony counter was shining with gloss. Redwood shelves had been arranged behind the counter to store the Manuals.

A large area to the left of the counter was partitioned for ordinary customers. It was big enough for two people to break through without interfering with each other.

The Array Master took out an octagonal disc and began to adjust it until it formed the shape of the room. He turned to Ikasa and said, "I can lay any Mortal tier array with confidence. If you want me to lay an Spirit Tier array, I cannot assure you of its success."

Sang Yi had helped Ikasa understand the distinction between the arrays. There were three strata of Arrays according to the Spiritual Energy and materials required - Mortal, Spirit and Apex.

The Energy Gathering Array inscribed in the Monstrous Flame Sect's treasury was a Mortal Tier Array while the Space Isolation Array in the Beech City was most probably in the Spirit Tier.

Ikasa was satisfied with a Mortal rank array as he was not sure he could afford the extravagance of a Spirit rank.

"A Mortal Rank defensive array should be enough for the shop."

Ikasa said, relaying his expectations to the Array Master.

According to his knowledge, a good Mortal Rank defensive array could withstand the assault of any Path Finder and even receive a few blows from a Chakra Sage Expert. It should be able to buy enough time for the reinforcements from the Nian Clan to arrive in case of an attack.

The old man nodded and immediately started to fiddle with his octagonal plate. An image of the building formed in a holographic form on his device. Then the Array Master began to pinch and drag to zoom in on the building from various angles.

Some time later, Ikasa heard him hum with satisfaction. The old man turned towards him and said, "If you want the best possible security, I would recommend to you the Level 3 array of Mortal Rank, the Celestial Guardian Array."

The old man looked at Ikasa expectantly while caressing his long white beard. But Ikasa was confused by an unfamiliar classification. He looked at the Array Master and Sang Yi with a frown as he mouthed, "Level 3 Mortal Rank?"

"Even though all arrays in the same rank consume nearly the same amount of energy and materials, the difficulty in laying them differs vastly. So, depending on how difficult it is to lay a formation, we Array Masters distinguish them into 3 levels. Of these, level 3 is the most difficult and so the most expensive."

The Array Master explained as he gauged Ikasa's reaction.

The standard rate for a Mortal Rank Array was between 2000 gold to 5000 gold. Thus the Celestial Guardian Array would cost him 5000 gold!

The Array Master provided more information about the array seeing Ikasa look outraged at the price.

"Once this array is laid, a Cosmic Guardian will be formed out of pure energy. It can exhibit the combat power of a Chakra Sage with one chakra as long as enough energy is provided to it. If needed, it can also create an energy barrier around the shop, foregoing offense."

A Celestial Guardian with the power of a Chakra Sage! The defensive array was truly powerful but Ikasa noticed one caveat.

'As long as enough energy is provided to it…'

Any Chakra Sage needed energy in one 3-star Spirit Coin to completely fill the first Chakra. The energy in a 3-Star Spirit Coin was equivalent to six 1-star Spirit Coins.

That means every time the Array was activated, it would use up six 1-Star Spirit Coins!

Also, the materials had to be provided by the one requesting the array.

So, this array would cost Ikasa around 5000 gold in materials and 5000 gold fees to the Array Master.

The young businessman let out a deep sigh as he understood that he would  lose 10,000 gold just for one defensive array.

'But it would be worth it…'

Ikasa tried to reassure himself.

After a deep breath, he resolved his mind and said to the Array Master, "Fine, I accept your recommendation. I urge you to lay the Celestial Guardian Array within these two days of time, Master Er Gou."

The three of them then went to the upper floors where Zhong Xi was waiting for them with some refreshments.

He quickly began to explain his idea of the training rooms, earning an appreciative glance from Array Master Er Gou.

According to the ideas of the one armed teen, the old man fiddled with the octagonal plate in his hands. He quickly found a suitable array.

Master Er Gou recommended a simple Force Negation Array of Level 1 Mortal Rank to strengthen the walls and floors of the training rooms.

Ikasa accepted the recommendation without any complaints. He needed four arrays for the four training rooms. Each array would cost him 2600 gold and just like that another 10400 gold was added to his burgeoning bill.

As Ikasa led the Array Master downstairs, he had an idea.

'What if I place an Energy Gathering Array down in the basement of this shop? But it will be easily detected and may attract even more greedy eyes. Unless…'

"Do you know any concealment or energy isolation arrays?"

Ikasa asked the Array Master. The Old man regretfully shook his head in response.

"Concealment Arrays or Isolation Arrays are usually very complicated and energy consuming. So they are mostly Spirit Rank and are laid by Array Grandmasters."

The old man explained as he made some changes to the octagonal disc in his hands.

'There goes my brilliant Spirit Coin making plan.'

Ikasa sighed with dejection.

The Array Master did not pay attention to Ikasa's emotional sigh and counted his fingers. Then he asked for confirmation from Ikasa.

"I can prepare all the arrays in two days. Is that good enough?"

'Two days will be cutting it close. The auction will start tomorrow.'

"Master Er, please lay the Celestial Guardian Defensive array before the Grand Opening of the shop on the day after tomorrow. You can lay the Force Negation arrays later this week."

Ikasa also placed a heavy bag filled with coins in the Array Master's hands and pushed Zhong Xi forward.

"Master Er, these are 5000 gold coins, the payment for the Celestial Guardian Array."

Then Ikasa pushed Zhong Xi forward and said, "You have met Zhong Xi. Please tell him the list of materials and he will make sure to fulfill all your requests."

The Array Master nodded and kept the bag in his Spatial Bracelet.

"You can expect the Celestial Guardian Array to be laid before your Grand Opening."

Master Er Gou assured Ikasa as he cupped his fists at his employer. He then waved his hand and asked Zhong Xi to follow him to his carriage.

As Ikasa watched the departing back of the thin old man, he felt a slight ache in his heart.

'My 20 thousand gold coins…'